What Does a School Board Do?

School Board Members, or "School Directors" are elected on behalf of the community to oversee the education of students in their district. When School Directors are sworn in, they take an oath to uphold the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and are responsible to implement school district policies that enact state education law.

School Boards are responsible for hiring the school superintendent and necessary employees; adopting curriculum and textbooks; finances including adopting annual budgets, levying of taxes and issuance of debt obligations when necessary; entering into collective bargaining agreements with professional employees; legal matters; management of facilities; and transportation of students as appropriate. Schools may include pre-K and career and technical schools.

In Pennsylvania, each school board has 9 members. They are elected for 4-year terms.

School Board members are your neighbors and community members who serve without pay.

School Board Elections

School Board Elections are held in odd-numbered years as part of the municipal elections.

5 of a district's 9 board members are elected in one municipal election and 4 are elected in the municipal election two years later. The 4-year terms are staggered so they are not all replaced at the same time.

In school board races, candidates may file to run in both the Democratic and Republican parties. This is called "cross filing."
Cross filing allows primary voters a wider choice of candidates in these races, which are considered non-partisan. It also gives candidates an increased chance of appearing on the November ballot.

School board races may be run by region or "at large." In an at large election, the candidates may live anywhere in the school district. Every voter in the district will be asked to select multiple candidates - enough to fill all open seats (4 or 5, depending on the year). When elections are held by region, the school district is divided into 9 wards or regions. Candidates may run only in the region where they live, and voters will be asked to vote for 1 candidate from their own region.

Learn About Your School Board

Your school district's website will have information about your school board, including board minutes and agendas, information on how to attend a board meeting, and how to provide your input on policy and budget decisions.

You can learn a lot about your local school by attending a school board meeting. Many meetings are now online and accessible from home. Public comments usually have to be submitted or scheduled in advance of a meeting. Knowing the deadlines and guidelines will allow you to participate effectively.

Find your school district's website here.

“What’s Happening in Our Schools?” A Conversation with Dr. Gerald Zahorchak

“What’s Happening in Our Schools?” A Conversation with Dr. Gerald Zahorchak was held on November 9 via Zoom. Dr. Zahorchak, former PA Secretary of Education, shared his perspectives and insights on a number of education issues including, fair funding; cyber schools and charter schools; curriculum; critical race theory; and the pandemic impact on education. If you missed this informative talk, you can view the recording here.

Pennsylvania's School Funding

In Pennsylvania, the state's contribution to public school funding is one of the lowest in the nation, at 38%. (The average is 47%.)
Most of Pennsylvania's state funding is distributed to districts based on 1991 enrollment data, and is not adjusted to reflect current needs.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly calculates cost of providing an adequate education to Pennsylvania's public school students. As in every state, a large share of this funding is provided by the state government, while the rest of it is provided through local taxes at the school district level.

In Pennsylvania, the state share of public school funding is one of the lowest in the nation, at 38%. (The average is 47%). And the combination of state and local funding does not meet the state benchmark for adequate funding.

Even if a state provides close to 50% of school funding, there will still be economic disparities between school districts. Wealthier districts may be able (and willing) to raise tax revenue for more "extras," like fielding more sports teams, upgrading the library, offering multiple foreign languages, or providing a robust music or theater program. But poorer districts must be able to meet basic educational targets like providing textbooks, effective class sizes, special education services, and building maintenance.

By the state's own benchmark, 86% of Pennsylvania's students attend schools that are underfunded. In addition, the gap between the richest and poorest school districts is one of the highest in the country.

View or Download

PA School Funding Graphic

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What is "Hold Harmless" ?

In 1992, the General Assembly passed a funding bill that included the "Hold Harmless" provision. This provision promised that each district would receive at least as much basic education funding as the year before, with a small percentage increase to adjust for inflation. (In 2016, the "Hold Harmless" allocations were frozen at 2014-2015 funding levels, and no longer update each year.)

While certain needs-based supplements continue to be adjusted, the vast majority of Pennsylvania's education funding, over 90%, is locked in by this "Hold Harmless" provision based on 1991 student enrollment and need data.

What is the Fair Funding Formula?

In 2016, Pennsylvania passed a new Fair Funding Formula to distribute any new education funding to districts based on their current enrollment, with increased weight for students living in poverty, and other student need factors. BUT, money distributed according to the Fair Funding Formula makes up only 10% of state education funding, and only about ~ 4% of Statewide Adequate Funding Target.

Learn more with these resources:

Pennsylvania's Basic Education Funding Formula:    https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-wolf-signs-fair-funding-formula-renews-call-to-restore

Fund Our Schools PA:  https://www.fundourschoolspa.org/

WHYY: "Everything You Wanted to Know About PA's New Education Funding Formula"   https://whyy.org/articles/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-pennsylvanias-new-education-formula/

Basic Education Funding Commission Report, 2015:  Basic Education Commission Final Report.

Public School Options: Comprehensive, Magnet, Charter, and Cyber Charter Schools

Comprehensive Schools

Comprehensive schools are public schools that are responsible for serving all students within their geographical boundary. They provide a broad range of academic and vocational instruction, and specialized programming for students with various learning needs.

Comprehensive Public Schools are the most common type of school in the public education system. When students enroll in public school, they are assigned to a comprehensive school that serves their geographical area. This school is responsible for providing them with an appropriate education.

Educational Purpose: As the "default" option for public education, comprehensive schools are designed to serve all children in their geographic areas. They provide a broad range of academic and vocational instruction, as well as support for students with learning difficulties, disabilities or language barriers.

Oversight: Comprehensive Schools are overseen by their school district administration and school board. They are bound to state educational requirements and to employee contracts made in their districts, and follow the district calendar and curriculum.

Funding: Comprehensive schools are publicly funded by taxpayers at the state and district level. There is no tuition charged to students.

Magnet Schools

Magnet schools are public schools within a district that offer specialized programs and methods of instruction not available district-wide.

In districts with magnet schools, students and their families can apply to attend a magnet school instead of the local school to which they are assigned. Students who apply are then chosen by lottery for the available slots at the school. Pittsburgh Public Schools have several magnet schools at all grade levels. Some of the specialized themes offered are Creative and Performing Arts, foreign language emphasis, Montessori instruction, and STEAM emphasis.

Educational Purpose:  Magnet schools are designed to promote voluntary integration within a school district across racial or economic lines. In addition, they provide options within the district for students with specific interests or career goals.

Oversight: Magnet Schools are overseen by their school district administration and school board. They are bound to the same educational requirements and employee contracts as other schools in their districts, and follow the district calendar and curriculum, sometimes adding material and perspective to the curriculum that incorporates the school's magnet theme.

Funding:  Magnet schools are funded by their school districts. Magnet schools may receive a larger per-pupil share of the districts budget in order to fund the extra amenities and features that attract students to these schools. There is no tuition charged to students.

Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools that are released from many state and district educational requirements and employee contracts and operate based on a contract or charter with the district(s) they serve.

Any student can apply to attend a charter school that serves their district or community. If a charter school receives more applications than it can accept, it must choose students based on a lottery system, rather than a selective admissions process. The Environmental Charter School, Propel Schools, and Urban Pathways are some examples of charter schools in Allegheny County.

Educational Purpose: Charter schools are designed to provide an opportunity for innovation and competition in public education. They are released from some school regulations in order to experiment with new curriculums, policies, or educational methods that may increase student progress.

Oversight: Charter Schools are overseen by an independent board, rather than by their school district administration and school board. They are bound to the terms of the charter provided by their authorizing school district, but they are not bound to the same educational requirements and employee contracts as other public schools. They may follow a different calendar with a different number of school days or hours, and may hire non-union or uncertified teaching staff, and may use a curriculum that does not adhere to district or state standards.

Funding: Charter schools are funded publicly. When students attend a charter school, their school district sends their per-pupil funding to the charter school. There is no tuition charged to students.

Cyber Charter Schools

Cyber charter schools are public charter schools that provide instruction online rather than in person. Like all charter schools, they are released from many state and district educational requirements and employee contracts and operate based on a contract or charter with the district(s) they serve.

Any student can apply to attend a cyber charter school that serves their district or community. Because instruction is provided remotely, many cyber charter schools accept students statewide. Cyber Charter Academy and PA Cyber some examples of charter schools in Pennsylvania.

Educational Purpose: Cyber charter schools are designed to provide an opportunity for more individualized instruction. Students in cyber schools can complete curriculum at their own paces, and may be able to access courses not available in their home school. They also serve students who would otherwise be homebound, or who spend a lot of time out of the district. Like other charter schools, they are released from some school regulations in order to experiment with new curriculums, policies, or educational methods that may increase student progress.

Oversight: Cyber charter Schools are overseen by an independent board, rather than by their school district administration and school board, and are governed by the same regulations and requirements as other charter schools.

Funding: Cyber charter schools are funded publicly. Although cyber schools have significantly lower expenses than "bricks and mortar" schools, when students attend a charter school, their school district sends their full per-pupil funding to the charter school. Computer and networking equipment is provided to students, and there is no tuition charged.

How Do Charter Schools Affect Their Districts?

Pennsylvania adopted a Charter School Law in 1997 which allowed the creation of the brick-and-mortar schools.
The law was updated in 2002 to allow the creation of cyber charter schools.
As of the 2020-21 school year, PA has 177 charter schools (163 brick-and-mortar and 14 cyber charter schools).
The Charter School Law has not been significantly updated since 2002, in spite of a number of issues that have arisen in the nearly 25 years since the law was initially passed, including funding and academic performance.

Charter Schools and School District Funding

In a 2020 survey, Pennsylvania's school districts listed charter school payments as their top source of budget pressure.

Stretching the District Budget: When a student enrolls in a charter school, their school district transfers that student's per-pupil funding to the charter school as tuition. While it sounds like the school district should break even with one less child to educate, it doesn't work out that way. Why?

Schools who lose a handful of students per grade level cannot reduce the number of teachers, classrooms, bus routes, or specialized programs that factored into the per-pupil cost. Districts must absorb these "stranded costs."

When students who previously attended a private school or were homeschooled enroll in a charter school, the district pays the per-pupil tuition without realizing any savings.

Schools have increased transportation costs, because they have to transport district students to charter schools within 10 miles of the district.

Tuition/Cost Mismatch: The tuition paid to charter schools is based on the cost to educate a student at the district's school, and not on the charter school's actual costs. This is a particular concern with cyber charter schools, which receive "bricks and mortar" tuition for an online education.

During the 2020-2021 school year, most schools reacted to the pandemic by providing their own district-managed cyber instruction. 90% of these schools reported that their costs for their own cyber school instruction were "significantly less" than the per-pupil tuition for charter cyber schools.

Public Accountability: Charter schools, like all public schools, are funded with public tax dollars, and need to be accountable to the public they serve. While charter schools are required to be run by non-profits, they are permitted to contract with for-profit companies for management and administrative services. When private companies manage a school, the public loses oversight of the money, and companies can then use the public funds to purchase curriculum or supplies from their own for-profit businesses, or to boost their own salaries.

Charter Schools and Academic Performance

"Bricks and Mortar" Charter Schools

It's important to distinguish between traditional "bricks and mortar" charter schools and cyber charter when looking at academic performance. Traditional charter schools have a mixed record of academic success, as you might expect from a group a schools that, by design, are using different curriculum and teaching methods.

Overall, charter school students tend to perform a little better in reading and a little worse in math than students at traditional public schools, but there are important differences between charter school performance when broken down by rural vs. urban, grade level, and student demographics. You can read a detailed analysis or do side-by-side comparisons of PA schools using the links below.

Cyber Charter Schools

In contrast to the mixed record of brick and mortar charter schools, Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools present a consistent picture of poor academic achievement. Cyber charter scores on statewide achievement tests lag well behind traditional district schools, with over 20% fewer students scoring in the "proficient" or "advanced" categories. All 14 of Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools are identified by the state as needing "Comprehensive Support and Improvement" or "Targeted Support and Improvement."

Learn More With These Resources:

Read a detailed breakdown of academic performance in PA's charter schools from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University: CREDO 2019 Charter School Performance in Pennsylvania

Do a side-by-side comparison of PA schools with this tool from the PA Department of Education: Future Ready PA Index

Proposed Changes to Pennsylvania's Charter School Regulations

The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently proposed new charter school regulations aimed at increasing transparency and accountability.

The proposed regulations address six areas of the PA Charter School Law:

Application requirements
Non-discriminatory enrollment policies
Boards of Trustees ethics standards
Financial and auditing standards
Tuition redirection process clarification
Charter School employee health care benefits parity

The new regulations would be part of a broader legislative package that would address increasing charter school costs, and protect students by holding low performing charter schools accountable for their academic performance.

You can view the proposed regulations here: PA 2021 Proposed Charter School and Cyber Charter Regulations